President of the United States Barack Obama got a brand new Cadillac limousine when he took office in 2009, but now the Department of Homeland Security is shopping for the next president’s new set of wheels.
Currently, President Obama rides in a Cadillac limousine nicknamed The Beast that was new when he first took office in 2009. That one replaced the 2005 Cadillac DTS that was used by President Bush. Now, bids are open for the next presidential limo.
The rules state that it has to come from a major domestic manufacturer who has their primary headquarter in the US, so bids from General Motors and Ford seem likely since they’ve both built presidential limos in the past. Cadillac has won the honor for the last 30 years, but prior to that there were Fords ferrying US presidents.
It’s no small task developing this limo since, as you’d imagine, these are not your typical limos. The current model is based on GM’s medium-duty truck platform and has 5″ thick armor, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass, and a sealed interior just in case of some kind of chemical attack on the vehicle.
There’s also a host of communications equipment far beyond what you’ll find in regular cars. If you’re wondering how much The Beast weighs, that’s classified, but you can bet it’s not the most fuel efficient of vehicles with all that built-in safety. Earlier models weighed in at 10,000 pounds.
The contract to build the next presidential limo is set to be awarded on August 29th.
Check out this video of the 2015 Chevy Tahoe and the 2015 Chevy Suburban which is President Obama’s ride when he’s abroad…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.